


COLIT 450 - Topics on Eiji Okumura (Instructor: Aslan Callenreese)

by junai, ryoseirui



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Professors, Established Relationship, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Professor Ash Lynx
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-16 22:43:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16504193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junai/pseuds/junai, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryoseirui/pseuds/ryoseirui
Summary: He finishes up reading the important points of the syllabus out loud, going over the grading for the course and the schedule, occasionally answering a few questions regarding things such as the rubric for the final assignment and if there was going to be a midterm. The class isn’t too overwhelming, most of the students deem at the end of the class. But they couldn’t help but think about what former students said when they asked about his class, or what they saw online on Rate My Professor. What do they mean by “IQ drop”, “the PowerPoint”, and “ask about his husband”?All of them walked out the lecture hall deciding it is too early in the semester to maybe risk it all.--Aslan Callenreese is a young comparative literature professor. Well-versed in literature, history, art, and media, with an IQ of over 200, he's gained a lot of respect from his students and other faculty members. But his new students keep hearing about a different side of him...





	1. Lecture 1 - Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! This a joint fic written by me and Anya! It started as a conversation about what subject Professor Callenreese would teach in @bananadeppi's professor AU, and it evolved into this~
> 
> As for now, there are a lot of loose ideas and no real plan of how long this will be, but we hope you'll enjoy the fic!

The first day of class in college is always very strange. 

For some classes, people know exactly what they’re going into. The instructor is always the deciding factor of how hard a course is going to be. But this professor… well, many of them asked what he was like beforehand, but they couldn’t get a clear answer of whether or not he was “good” or bad”.

The lecture hall is silent, as expected. Suddenly, a low, stern voice disrupts the tense atmosphere.

“Welcome to comparative literature 450. I am your professor, Aslan Callenreese. I’m trusting everyone has fulfilled the prerequisites to join this class?”

Every student in the class couldn’t help but stare at their professor that just walked into the room. Sure, some of them have seen his faculty photo online, but his picture just didn’t do him justice. The first thing they all notice was how  _ blond  _ he is. His hair is feathery, his fringe pushed away from his face. On his face are silver glasses, the frames thin, oval-shaped. He’s wearing a light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a cream colored sweater vest. His khakis are fitted, and are cuffed. He’s tall and slender, but no matter how mature the aura he exudes, there’s still a young feeling to him. He could easily pass off as a grad student instead of a professor.

“I’ve already uploaded the syllabus online, but I’ll be passing out a physical copy as well. As soon as everyone gets a copy, we will go over it,” Professor Callenreese says, handing a student in the front row a stack of stapled sheets. The student takes the copy on the top, and turns around and passes it to the student sitting behind him. The stack makes it way around the room as Professor Callenreese walks back to the desk and opens his laptop. He plugs in a cord in the side, and turns around to press a few buttons on the control panel next to the projector screen. The lights of the projector flicker a few times before the screen of his laptop is projected in front of the whole class. The last of the syllabi are passed around, and Professor Callenreese picks up the extras from the last student.

He places the extras on the desk and stands at the front, the whole room in his control. The students aren’t necessarily terrified by this professor, but more curious. Former students said he would be a lot different than this…

“Does everyone have a copy?” He speaks up, and the whole room murmurs ‘yes’ under their breath, hoping he isn’t the type of professor to make people read the syllabus out loud. “Good. For the course description…” He continues to speak, going over the topic for this semester: postmodernism and its influences on literature, culture, and cinema. The students will study various literary and visual representations of postmodernism and compare it in a cross cultural perspective. He moves on and explains what is expected for each reading assignment and the final project, nothing the students are unfamiliar with. The reactions to what Professor Callenreese says are at a bare minimum, except for the sighs of relief when he mentions that all readings will be posted online, and they don’t have to go buy the books.

He finishes up reading the important points of the syllabus out loud, going over the grading for the course and the schedule, occasionally answering a few questions regarding things such as the rubric for the final assignment and if there was going to be a midterm. The class isn’t too overwhelming, most of the students deem at the end of the class. But they couldn’t help but think about what former students said when they asked about his class, or what they saw online on Rate My Professor. What do they mean by “IQ drop”, “ _ the _ PowerPoint”, and “ask about his husband”? 

All of them walked out the lecture hall deciding it is too early in the semester to maybe risk it all.


	2. Pre-Lecture Reading 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A morning with Professor Callenreese and his husband.

Ash stumbles into the kitchen, his whole outfit in disarray. His hair is unkempt, his dress shirt is incorrectly buttoned, the buttons shifted down a hole. His shirt is hanging out from the back of his pants, and his tie is nowhere to be seen. If any of his students saw him in this state, they would probably think this guy was a lookalike of their professor. But this is just a normal day.   
  
Ash presses himself against a smaller figure standing in front of the stove frying eggs. The sudden weight makes the other man laugh adoringly. "Good morning to you too, darling," he says, not missing a beat in flipping the eggs even with a big amount of pressure on him.

With his glasses resting a bit low on his nose, Eiji lets the eggs cook while he enjoys his husband’s warmth on his back. Coupled with his fluffy knit sweater and equally fluffy bedhead (thanks to Ash playing with it in his sleep), he feels quite cozy and would consider going back to cuddling in bed if it weren’t a busy day. He tucks himself under Ash’s chin and lifts the eggs with his spatula.

"Nnngh... ohayou, Eiji..." Ash says groggily. "It smells good..." he continues, not budging from his spot on his husband. Eiji reaches for the plate that is set on the counter right to the stove, and slides the fried eggs right on. He lowers the plate and turns off the stove, turning around to give his husband a good morning hug.

Ash holds Eiji tight. The more time that passes, the more energetic Ash becomes. By the time Ash lets go, his jade eyes are fully open, and he starts to fix the mistakes of his outfit while heading towards their dining table. Eiji follows behind Ash, bringing the last of the breakfast food with him.

"You were already asleep when I came into the room last night," Ash says as he pulls out a chair for Eiji to sit on before he takes a seat himself. "Sorry I wasn't able to be there while you fell asleep."   
  
"Don't worry about something like that," Eiji smiles as he clasps his hands together. "Itadakimasu."   
  
"Itadakimasu," Ash follows. Both of them start to pick at the various foods Eiji had cooked. "On the bright side of working so late, I finally was able to convince the school to include menstrual products in both male and female bathrooms," Ash says triumphantly. "It took a few long emails last night, but the administration said that they’ll be able to enact it by next week."   
  
Eiji grins at the good news. "As expected of the head of the gender and sexuality center. Always listening and looking out for the students. I'm so proud of you."

Ash smiles at Eiji's words, knowing they're genuine. They eat in a comfortable silence before Eiji speaks up again. "How are classes going so far? It's been about 3 weeks since the semester started..." he trailed off, knowing Ash will pick the topic right up after he's done chewing his food.   
  
Ash hurriedly swallows his bite of toast so that he can answer. "The 380 class, topics in gender and literature, is amazing. All the students in that class I've either had before, or met through the gender and sexuality center. They're incredible."   
  
"They must be having a fun time in your class! Having a professor you already know breaks down a lot of those awkward barriers at the beginning!"   
  
"Exactly, which is why the senior seminar is going really well. It's different since I'm used to teaching the entry level comparative lit classes, but it's like I'm checking up on the students I had two, three years ago. They've grown up so much... but it's embarrassing when they credit their growth to me. They should acknowledge themselves more."   
  
"Of course. How about your other class?"   
  
"450? ...They're tough... Even though I've taught the entry level course, I guess they took it with one of the other professors. I didn't know any of the students beforehand. They do their assignments, but when we discuss the texts in class, no one wants to speak." Ash frowns. He wonders if he scares them, but he can't be that scary... right? His other courses are so lively.   
  
"I guess you should wait a few more days for them to step outside their comfort zones... I'm sure by the end of the semester, they'll be as lively as your other classes," Eiji encourages. "450 is today, right?"   
  
"Yeah, it is."   
  
Eiji winks. "Good luck today, darling."   
  
Ash lifts his coffee mug in an effort to hide his dopey smile but Eiji giggles and only makes it worse. Ash's face is fully flushed now, and Eiji pretends not to notice to cut Ash some slack. But he sees it clearly, and can't help but think how  _ adorable _ his husband truly is. They smile at each other once again and continue to eat their breakfast until every last piece is eaten.    
  
Ash claps his hands together and thanks Eiji for another delicious meal, and he takes the plates to the sink. He always insists that Eiji takes a break after breakfast, since he worked so hard to make it in the first place. The free time allows Eiji to pick up the day’s newspaper and read, while Ash takes care of the rest. Ash grabs the sponge and pours on a small amount of dish soap on it, then picks up one of their matching coffee mugs from the sink, gently scrubbing the inside so that the coffee won't stain the cream colored ceramic.    
  
He carefully makes his way through all the dishes from this morning; the second mug, the plates, and then finally the silverware, strategically placing them on the drying rack next to their sink so that they can fit their dinner plates on later today. Once they're all clean, he dries his hands with a kitchen cloth, and walks over to Eiji. He leans in and peeks over his shoulder to see what he's currently reading, but that's not what he's actually interested in.   
  
"My class ends around 2:30. Maybe you should come to the university, and we can grab a little dessert from that one patisserie by campus?" He kisses Eiji's cheek, the gesture tickling Eiji a little.    
  
"Sounds good! Today’s shoot at the park shouldn’t be delayed. It’s a birthday session that’s secretly going to become an engagement. My client is proposing to her girlfriend when we reach the bridge!” Eiji’s smile grows when he reminisces, “Remember when we got engaged?”

Ash tries to keep himself from blushing. “You’re making me want to find our photos and spend all day here with you.”

Eiji could only puff his cheeks and shake his head at that. “I’m not making you do anything;  _ you’re  _ the lazy romantic.”

"Yeah, yeah. I can't wait to see you later then, darling," Ash pecks his cheek again. The shower of affection Ash is giving makes Eiji giggle. Ash tenderly takes Eiji's glasses off his face before leaning in for a soft kiss on the lips.    
  
That short moment makes it feel like everything around them is frozen. As if they were in their own little world. All Ash needs in this world is Eiji, and all Eiji needs in this world is Ash.   
  
Ash hesitantly pulls away from the kiss, and checks his watch. "I should get going. You should too, don't want you to be late to the shoot."    
  
Eiji smiles. "I won't." Ash lets him get up and follows Eiji while he finishes getting ready. They head back to the kitchen counter, where there are two boxes: one wrapped in bright red with a pattern of a slightly frowning bird mascot whose eyes are half open, the other pastel blue with Eiji’s favorite mascot that Ash still doesn't understand the appeal of, Norinori. 

Eiji hands Ash the box wrapped in the red handkerchief; it's his bento for lunch today. As Ash receives it with both hands, Eiji teases him, as he does every day. "Don't worry, I didn't put kabocha salad as a side."   
  
Ash frowns, knowing that the line comes every day. But even the way Eiji teases him is endearing, and he thanks him for the food again. 

Once ready, they intertwine their hands and walk to the closet by their front door, grabbing their coats, shoes, and work bags. Both of them tuck their bento boxes on top, treating them like fragile packages. Eiji shuts off the last remaining light and they head out with Ash locking the door. After it’s secured, Ash tucks his keys into his coat pocket and offers his arm to Eiji. Eiji links his arm with Ash’s and they make their way to the elevator, facing another day together.

**Author's Note:**

> Twitters:  
> Rui - @_ryoseirui_  
> Anya - @bananafishexe


End file.
